I left my mother when I was only seven days old. I know! Way too young. I don’t know why my mother’s people took me away from her, it just happened. But even so, I learned some things from her. Every baby capybara learns the Song of the Dangers from the very first day they are born. My mother used to sing it to me and my siblings as we went to sleep, which we did a lot in those days.

The Song of the Dangers

Sleep my little babies
But do not make a sound
For in the tangled forests
The jaguars abound.

Swim my little babies
But don’t you make a splash
Underneath the water
The caimans’ teeth flash.

Jump my little babies
Jump straight onto the shore
In the murky river’s depths
Slithering anaconda explore.

Run my little babies
Run as far, as fast you can
For nothing is more dangerous
Than the sight of man.

There are a few more verses about eagles, piranha, crocodiles, and other deadly dangers, but these are the best ones.

Do human mothers sing songs like this to their babies? I bet they don’t. Maybe they sing the opposite song, one about killing and hunting rather than staying safe and alive. Our song is scary but I think I like it more.

One thing really puzzles me though. Isn’t “man” short for “human?” And isn’t MelT a human? Maybe that’s why I’m so afraid of he.

Leave me a comment with your favorite verse from a human bedtime song! Is it scary?